Peshawar court grants bail to 28 PTI activists — Dawn

The Peshawar High Court in Pakistan has granted bail to 28 activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party who were detained under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance. As Dawn reports, the decision was made by a bench comprising Justices Syed Arshad Ali and Babar Sattar.

Conditions of release

The court ordered the petitioners, including Ahsan and 27 others, to provide two sureties of 100,000 Pakistani rupees each. They must be approved by magistrates of the relevant districts.

The activists must also provide written undertakings that they will not engage in anti-state activities or commit acts that could harm public safety or the maintenance of public order.

The court noted that, at the initial stage, the petitioners had established grounds for interim relief, as the case concerns their constitutional rights to life, liberty and freedom of movement. The next hearing on the joint petition of the 28 detainees was scheduled for October 27.

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Challenge to detention orders

The activists are challenging detention orders issued by the home department on October 12, 2026, under Section 3 of the West Pakistan Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960. Government representative Waqar Khalil requested time to submit written comments, case materials and supporting documents.

The petitioners’ lawyers argued that the orders were identical in content and did not contain specific grounds, descriptions of individual incidents or actions that would substantiate the concerns expressed. They also referred to interim decisions by benches of the High Court in Swat and Abbottabad concerning people detained under similar orders.

Separately, 122 PTI activists from Swabi district challenged their detention under the same ordinance. Their petition, filed by representatives of PTI’s legal wing, also seeks interim release on bail pending the final consideration of the case.